Apparatus foe purifying water



2 Sheets-Sheet` 2.

(No Model.)

0. H. JEWELL.

APPARATUS P011 PURIPYING WATER.

Patented July 10, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

OMAR I-I. JE\VELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE J E\VELL PURE VATER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

VAPPARATUS FOR PURIFYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 386,073, lated July l0, 1888.

" Application filed December 1.7. 1887. Serial No. $258,239.- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it Hwy concern:

Be it known that I, OMAR H. JEWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ol' Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usey ful Improvement in Apparatus for Purifying and Filtering Water, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurc 1 represents a vertical section of a filtering apparatus embodying my presentimprovements, and Fig. 2 a similar section of an attachment of the apparatus for, special uses. i

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to aiiltering apparatus adapted to carry out the process for purifying and filtering water, which forms the subjectmatter of an application for patent by myself and William M. Jewell, tiled December7, 1887, Serial No. 257,258. l

My present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of this description by means of which the process referred to may be eiliciently carried out; and to that end my invention consists in certain novel features, which I will now proceed to describe, and will then particularly point out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, A represents a filter-tank, of any convenient form, which is filled with gravel and sand, orany other filtering material, up to about the line 1 l, (shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings,) which may be called the sand-line. In this in stance the tank is surmounted by a dome, B, somewhat smaller in cross-section than the tank and open at its bottom into the latter. A feed-pipe, C, supplieswater to the filter, a service-pipe, c, extending from the latter, being tapped into the top of the tank-dome. A pipe, D, extends down through the top of the tank to the bottom of the latter, where it is provided with a perforated bucket or chamber, d, whereby the water filtering down through the sand is collected. This pipe is the dischargepipe of the filter, and is provided with a service-pipe, d', leading ofi from the pipe D to any desired point, and provided' with a valve, d2, by means of which discharge through this pipe may be closed. rlhe pipe ot'- washing.

D extends upward and connects with the upper branch of the feed-pipe B, a suitable cock, d, .being provided at this point foi-opening or closing communication between the two pipes, as may be desired. Another pipe, E, is also connected with the upper branch of the feed-pipe and extended downward into the tank. This is the wash-pipe, and is passed down to the bottom of the tank, where it is provided with a distributer, e, 'whereby water forced down through the pi pc may be evenly distributed about the area of the tank and through the same for the wellknown process The particular construction of this distributer is immaterial, as it is no part of my present invention, and requires no detailed description here. At the point of union between the .fecdpi pe and wash-pipe there is also a suit-able cock, e', by means of which the supply of water through the pipe C may be directed down through the wash-pipe.

In the domeB of the filter-tank are arranged two electrodes. One of these is a hollow cylinder, F, of zinc, the diameter of which is slightly less than that of the dome, While its length is about the same as the height of the latter. This electrode is suspended from the top of the dome by bolts or rods f, properly insulated from the dome itself by insulators f.I The cylinder does not extend quite to the top of the dome, so that a slight space will be left between it and the domein all directions.

The other electrode, G, is a solid cylinder of carbon, and is of less diameter than the zinc electrode F, within which it is arranged, being also suspended by bolts or rods g from the top of the dome, which areinsulated from the latter by insulators g.

The upper end of the carbon electrode does not extend up quite flush with that of the zinc, and, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, this electrode is arranged directly underneath the servicc-pipe, which delivers water into the filter.

An electric battery, H, or other electric gcnerator, is provided, of such power as may be required, the respective polesv of whichy are connected by wires 7L h to the respective electrodes G and F. The upper branch of the feed-pipe C is provided with valve-cocks c' c2, arranged, respectively, in front of and behind :h owever,l that it should be under pressure.

In case the introduction of a reagent is necessary I prefer to charge the water with thereagent beiore it enters the filter, and for some reasons I think it desirable to introduce the reagent before the water enters the pump, for

then-there is a thorouglimixture bythe agi-- tation of the water as it passes through the l; "pumping apparatus. I have shown this arrangement ot' the devices in the drawings, wherein J represents the suction-pipe of* the -pump into which a pipe, K, is tapped, which Y isV suitably connected with a tank or receiver ."-fcontaining the reagent which is to be introduced. The reagent will sometimes be a liq- -I Auid and sometimes a gas, and it will be understood, of course, that the receiver and apparatus for introducing the substance into the *water-willi be varied, so as to adapt them to the particular substance required.

The apparatus shown in the drawings is intended to illustrate devices for the introducl tion of a gaseousreagent-L` in Fig. l, indiing a quantity of gas.

cating a suitable generator for the production of the gas required, and from which communication is made to the suction-pipe by means `of the pipe/K,which is provided with a suitable cock, k. l

. JIt may be desirableto provide asuitable receiver or gasometer for collecting and retain- I have shown such an additional device in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which the generator L is connected with areiver,- M, of any ordinary construction, adapted to receive, retain, and deliver gas. This connection is eiected by means of asuit- .fable pipe, M, and the receiver is connected with the suction-pipe of the pump by means ofapipe,M?. y

In case the reagent is in liquid form the re- 'ceiver'in which itis held is connected with the suction-pipe, and the receiver is so located that the liquid will be drawn intothe suctionpipe in such quantities as may be desired by the action of the -pump.

For the purposeof illustrating the' action of my apparatus I will describe its operation in a particular instance.

For this purpose .an apparatus has vbeen illustrated by the drawings adapted for the treatment of ordinary salt-way ter-thatism'ater impregnated with common salt. Common salt is chloride of sodiumfand' of course the decomposition of common saltwatereff'ectedby electrolysis produces chlorine and sodium. Now if a proper reagent is present it will unite with the sodium, while the chlorine, being a gas,will escape from the water as opportunity `is afforded. rPhe required reagent is found in carbonio-acid gas, or rather an excess of this substance. This gas is produced in the generator L in any cheap way. A wellknown method is the treatment of chalk or limestone with sulphnric acid. VThis gas is delivered by the pipe K to the suction-pipe .J of the pump,which extends to the reservoir of salt-water, and the construction filtering material below, tlirouglrwhich the water subsequently passes. vPure Afresh water will be discharged from the service-pipe di, and the chlorine gas, if any remains in the water, will immediately escape when relieyed from pressure which mayexistini-the purifying apparatus.y '5 l The use of the stopcocks mentioned in this` description I will brietly state, though they constitute no part of the present invention. In the working operation of the apparatusthe valve-cock c is open and c? closed, while e is turned so as to close the pipe E, but leave. av `passage directly through the feed-pipe open.

The cock d is adjusted'` lto close the opening from the pipe D into the feed pipe, and di :is open-to permit the discharge from the apparatus. When it is desired for any purpose to shutoff water from the filter, it is evident that if c2 and di are open the discharge will be difrectly through the pipe C without going round through theiilter. When-it is desired-to wash 1 the filter, c and d2 are closed, e is opened to make connection with the washpipe,d3 is closed to the pipe D, and c is opened,.so that obviously water may be passed freely up through the sand and top'of the filter out through the discharge end of the feed-pipe until the washing is completed. When filter-ing is commenced again, it is desirable at irst to open only di, letting the discharge be for a4 time through this outlet.

The form of apparatus shown and described is particularly adapted for the treatment of ordinary saltwater, as has already been stated; but it isobvious that by slight changes in the details or accessories of the apparatus it may be adapted for the' treatment of different solutions, orit may be employed in the form shown and described for treating other solutions by simply changing the reagent.

It is obvious that various modifications inf the construction tshown and described maybe made without departing from the principle of my invention. For example, -in some instances the filtering portion of the apparatus may be dispensed with, and in other cases the devices essere for producing and introducing the reagent may be omitted. The details of the construction may also be varied, and I therefore do not wish Y to be understood as limiting myself strictly to f discharge or outlet pipe, of the dome mounted oni said iiltering-tanl; vand communicatingl therewith, a supply or inlet pipeopening into saifdjdo'nia and suitable electrodes arranged in said ldonne and connected to a battery or other sourcaof electricity', substantially as and for tlieprposes specified. l

2. .In an apparatus for purifying Water, the

`combination, with the filtering-tank A andI dome B, of the hollow cylindrical electrode F,

arranged in said dome and connected to one pole of the battery, and the cylindrical electrode G, arranged within the electrode F and 4connected tothe other pole of the battery, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In an apparatus for purifying Water, the

combination, with the filtering'tank and its discharge-pipe, of the electrodes arranged therein and connected to the battery or other source of electricity, a supply-pipe connected to said tank,and a reagent-receiver connected to the su pply-pipe, substantially as and for the purposes specified. p

4. In an apparatus for purifying water, the combination, with theltering-tank and its supply anddischargc pipes, of suitable electrodes arranged in said tank and connected to a battery or other source of electricity, a pump connected to the 'supply-pipe,A and a suitable reagent receiver or generator connected to the suction-pipe of the pump, substantially as and for the purposes specified. Y

5. In an apparatus for purifying Water, the combination,with the filtering-tank A, of suitable electrodes arranged therein and connected to a battery or other source of electricity, asupply-pipe for said tank, a receiver, M, connected to said supply-pipe, and a generator, v

I, connected to said receiver, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

- OMAR H. JEWELL.

Witnesses:

IRVINE MILLER, CARRIE FEIGEL. 

